88-yr-old former legislator arraigned for N1.4m fraud

LAGOS — A FORMER member of the Western House of Assembly, 88-year-old Olusola Alaba, was, yesterday, arraigned before a Lagos High Court, sitting at Ikeja, and charged with an alleged N1.4 million fraud.

Alaba, is facing a five-count charge of obtaining money by false pretence and forgery, before Justice Lateefa Okunnu in a suit brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.

The EFCC prosecutor, Mr. Francis Usani, claimed the defendant had on June 20, 2011, in Lagos fraudulently obtained the sum of N1, 490,000 from Mrs. Olutoyin Ogundipe.

He alleged that Alaba obtained the said sum from the woman by claiming that the money represented the cost of a three bedroom flat located at Plot 8, Oladimeji Alo Street, Lekki Phase One, Lagos.

Usani accused him of forging four international passports in the names of Babatunde Salvage, Anthony Okundalaye, Lateef Alli and Magnus Obe, to facilitate the fraud.

According to Usani, the alleged offence contravened Section 1 (2) (3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act of 2006 and 467 of the Criminal Code Laws of Lagos State 2003.

Alaba pleaded not guilty to the five-count charge leveled against him.

His counsel, Mrs. Mercy Emuveyan, urged the court to remand him in EFCC custody pending the filing of his bail application.

She appealed to the court to consider the defendant’s age and health condition as well as being a former member of the Western House of Assembly.

Okunnu granted her request and remanded the defendant in EFCC custody and adjourned the matter to March 26, 2013, for trial.